


Day Ninety-Seven || Odd Jobs

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [97]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-06 18:39:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18394109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: Being a genin seriously stinks. Especially when you get nothing but odd jobs that anyone could do! But when Sasuke finds Team Eight struggling with a D-rank of their own, he decides to step in.





	Day Ninety-Seven || Odd Jobs

Genin work is  _ ridiculous _ .

While Sasuke expects some beginner-level jobs, he doesn’t think it would include things like fetching lost pets and doing yard work for some old people. This isn’t anything befitting a shinobi! Even entry-level Academy students could be doing stuff like this!

And the pay is low...which makes sense, given how simple all of this is. Which, in turn, makes him wonder  _ why _ they’re bothering to do it in the first place. Why doesn’t Iruka just...take a class of kids out to fill these kinds of missions? They shouldn’t even be  _ called _ missions!

“All right you three! That’s all for today,” Kakashi offers as yet another miscellaneous job comes to a close. Today they hauled stock from a broken cart outside the village the rest of the way in to some man’s shop. Sure, they were heavy...but anyone with four limbs and a brain could do that much.

All three genin of Team Seven are clearly unimpressed with the latest odd job.

“We’ll meet back in the administration building tomorrow to see what new missions they have lined up for us, hm?”

“Oi, Kakashi-sensei! When are we gonna do  _ real _ shinobi work?”

“Hm…?”

“Y’know! Like fightin’ bad guys, savin’ people! Something  _ exciting! _ I’m tired of chasing cats and raking yards!”  Naruto hops from foot to foot, exasperated.

“You three aren’t nearly ready for  _ real _ shinobi work,” Kakashi refutes.

“How can you know that if you won’t let us try?” Sakura retorts, folding her arms. “This all seems too simple and childish for people who’ve graduated from the Academy.”

“I’m afraid that’s just how it goes, you three. Mission requests come from all sorts of people with all sorts of problems. And the new little genin get stuck with all the work the older, more experienced shinobi don’t want. Slough through it for now. You’ll get your chance to shine and be big, tough ninja saving people and beating up bad guys. Until then, leave it to the professionals.”

With that, he holds up a hand...and disappears into a cloud of vapor.

“Aw MAN!” Naruto shouts as soon as their teacher’s gone. “This is a load a’ crap! We’re so much better than this! He’s just not getting us missions worthy of our talents, ‘ttebayo!”

Sakura scoffs, hands on her hips. “It  _ does _ seem like we’re getting piled on with all the easy jobs. How will he ever know if we’re ready if he doesn’t give us something to test us with!” Turning to the Uchiha, she suddenly takes on a demure air. “What do you think, Sasuke-kun?”

“Hn...you’ve both got a point.”  _ As much as I hate admitting it. _ “These jobs are beneath us...D-ranks are for kids.”

“Right? We should get a C-rank” Naruto exclaims, clenching his fists. “We’ll insist on it tomorrow! All of us as a team! Then they can’t say no, right?”

“Well, it’s worth a try,” Sakura muses.

“For now...we better all head home. See you at the administration building tomorrow.”

“Yeah!”

“Bye, Sasuke-kun!”

Free of his teammates for now, Sasuke starts meandering toward home. Something tells him it won’t be so simple to get a mission of a higher rank, but...as Sakura said, at least they can ask. And if it gets bad enough...they’ll try demanding.

“Oh, c-careful!”

Glancing up at a voice, Sasuke’s brow furrows slightly. Another genin team of their year - Team Eight, if he recalls correctly - is currently taking on what surely must be a D-rank of their own. But by the looks of it, they’re having a much harder time.

Paling as he looks at a large wound on his forearm, Kiba’s clearly trying not to panic. Apparently he’s not used to wielding pruning shears…

Kurenai heaves a sigh. “I’d better get him to the hospital. You two stay and keep working. I’ll come back once he’s being seen to.”

“Hai!” Hinata and Shino both watch as the other half of their team leaves, and then glance to each other.

“Need some help?”

Looking up, they perk as Sasuke approaches beyond the fence. “Oh, Sasuke-kun! Hello.”

“Uchiha-san,” Shino offers more formally than his teammate. “We can handle this.”

“Didn’t say you couldn't. Just asked if you’d like a hand. You’re down two people. Is it really bad to refuse a third?”

“Shino-kun, we’re already running late,” Hinata offers quietly. “We should t-try to get this done quickly, before it starts to get dark.”

The Aburame sighs, head tilting downward. “...very well. We’re meant to finish pruning the upper boughs of these trees. Kiba...was not paying attention, and -”

“Tried to prune his arm instead?” Sasuke cuts in dryly.

“...you could say that.”

“All right, let’s get going, then.”

Each armed with a ladder and shears, the trio get to work. Eyeing his tree critically, it takes Sasuke a while to notice Hinata’s curious glances to him. “...what?”

“N-nothing!”

Eyes squint at her, but she still doesn’t speak.

Half an hour later as the sun begins to set, they manage to finish up, accepting all the thanks of the woman who requested the help. Her own arm is broken...apparently her first attempt went poorly, hence asking. “They look lovely! Thank you so much!”

The three of them accept the praise politely before heading out.

“I must be going. My parents will be expecting me.”

“Okay - see you tomorrow, Shino-kun!”

Watching him go, Sasuke glances to Hinata. “So, what was all the staring for?”

“W-what?”

“Before. You kept looking at me funny.”

Suddenly sheepish, Hinata fiddles her fingers, head ducking. “Oh, w-well...I guess I was just curious w-why you...helped us? I mean...it was a mission for our team, not yours. N-not that your help wasn’t appreciated! I just…”

Sasuke shrugs. “...I had nothing else to do. Besides, you and Shino are easier to work with than my teammates.”

“...oh?”

“Yeah.” He doesn’t feel like elaborating.

“I see...well, thank you Sasuke-kun. We would have taken even longer, and been working in the dark without your help.”

“No problem. Tell barks for brains to be more careful from now on, or I’ll start taking his cuts of the mission pay,” Sasuke replies, giving a hint of a smirk.

To his surprise, Hinata laughs into the cuff of her jacket sleeve. “I-I’m sure he’ll learn something from this. I just hope the wound wasn’t too bad…it sure b-bled a lot.”

“It wasn’t too serious. Konoha’s got good medics.”

“True…” As a silence falls between them, Hinata then gives a small, bobbing bow. “A-anyway, I’d better get home! My father will be looking for me…”

“All right. See you around, Hyūga.”

“G-goodnight, Sasuke-kun.” Waving, she turns and jogs off toward the Hyūga compound.

Hands in his pockets, he watches her go, musing over his evening.  _ Huh...why couldn’t I have had someone like her on my team instead…? _

**Author's Note:**

> Done a bit earlier than usual, woo!
> 
> Just some random genin-era fluff! Ah, how I wish for a team swap where Hinata and Sakura switch places...goodness knows it'd be a better love triangle than canon!Team Seven, lol - definitely a concept I hope I'll get to touch on in a piece for this challenge down the road!
> 
> But yeah, that's gonna do it for tonight! Thanks for reading~


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